Chapter 28

Huh.

It's the food kind.

Staring up at the towering golem of green goo I thought it'd be the type of gelatin used for ballistic tests and stuff. Seems like kind've a fair assumption to make from afar what with all the lead shot and cannonballs uselessly trapped inside of it. Most of them hardly made it a foot deep before running short of momentum and getting stuck.

But no, now that I'm closer I can see it's not ballistic gel it's...lemon-lime if I'm not mistaken. 'How does that..if it's the food kind it shouldn't have the consistency to stop… bah, whatever, fuckin' Devil Fruits man.'

On a tangential note I'm also surprised to see a food-type Fruit here because I was under the impression Big Mom had pretty much gathered a monopoly on those over the past 50 some-odd years. The only exception that comes to mind is that non-canon candy syrup dude from one of the movies -which of course doesn't count as it was a non-canon movie-. 'Oh, and I guess maaaybe Tama from the Wano arc can sort of fall in the 'food' category. She had those weird mind-control brainwash-y "dango" things.' Man. I wonder how all that ended up resolving. The Wano story was just starting to get good when I wound up washing ashore here.

The lumbering titan of foodstuff turns slightly and I can feel the woman suspended in its center finally take notice of me. The rectangular slab that acts as the right leg raises up to crush me underfoot and...honestly it's maybe one of the slowest attacks I've ever seen. Even the most basic of mooks could roll out of the way if they saw it coming.

Which, taking a look around me, they have been. For all the massive collateral damage she seems capable of inflicting, her actual kill count for this battle is probably rather low.

'Kamisori' deposits me high up among the topmasts before the blocky limb is even halfway through its journey. That's gonna be the first point I'm docking from this Fruit-user's threat level. A second is that, based on how the golem followed through with the stomp and the body-language that followed, it doesn't seem like my opponent even registered that I moved. Rob Lucci's hybrid technique between [Geppo] and [Soru] is much more the prior than it is the latter. If you're capable of tracking even the most basic of high-speed movements you should have at least noticed I'd gotten out of the way.

I turn my gaze up and peer at the constructs upper back. Narrowing my eyes to try and glance past the moderately opaque layers of jello and get a read on the human within.

Cornelia, Hornigold's Left-Hand, Lv. 32

'Hmmm...kind've a low-level for a major lieutenant… probably been coasting by just through her Fruit..[Observe] says stats are… really really low. INT and WIS are not 'terrible' I guess.. No [Perk]'s to speak of, that's good... Fruit's a Paramecia as expected… nothing here really concerni-' The she-pirate spots me in her periphery and rotates again to fully face me 'Oh wow' derailing my chain of thought rather effectively.

'Well she's certainly got confidence doesn't she?'

Woo boy. What's the best way to say this? We could try to avoid being unnecessarily crude about it. Use descriptors like 'Voluptuous' or 'Well-Endowed' to describe her rather than be blunt.

Bah. Screw it. Blunt it is.

The bitch is freakin' stacked. She's got gifts from the lord and is clearly of the mind to let the whole world see it. There might be no more than a half-centimeter of cloth on each side keeping her areolas from peaking out and saying hello.

'Gee. I wonder what the 'real' reason is that she's one of Hornigolds closest subordinates. Give you three guesses why and the first two don't count.'

A painfully slow backhand comes up to meet me and I experimentally fire off a [Rankyaku] to see it's effect. The blue sickle of energy parts the oversized arm from its shoulder quite easily, slipping through the goo with almost zero resistance, which is pleasing to see. What's a little less gratifying though is the gelatin simply sealing itself shut and recombining the instant the cutting energy passes by. Before my attack has even finished exiting the back the 'entry wound' at the front is already unblemished again.

'Hmm. Alright.' I hop into the air again as the mast and sail get obliterated by the swinging arm. 'How about this then?' Three more [Rankyaku]'s fire off from my feet, this time aiming not for any of the rectangular appendages but rather at the woman controlling them from inside.

The three slip inside just as easily as the first did and meet a rather unexpected obstacle. That being the Fruit-user scowling at me and then...somehow teleporting to safety inside the left shoulder.

My gaze narrows. 'No, not teleporting... Just being shunted to the side incredibly quick. So fast I almost missed it.' An eyebrow raises as I examine her stats again. 'Interesting. Her DEX shouldn't allow for that level of speed. Something she can only do inside the gelatin perhaps?'

Well if it's gonna be like that then we'll just have to try something else won't we? Guns are out. Flying sword slashes are just better versions of [Rankyaku] so they'll also likely be ineffective. What to try, what to try. Ah. Let's go with that.

Kicking my legs back, I alter my angle in the sky and push out a heavy [Geppo] that sends me rocketing straight towards her. A puzzled look flashes over her face at the action. No doubt due to -as from her perspective- I appear to have chosen the moronic option of deciding to dive headfirst into the jello myself and try and engage close combat. Something that I'm sure would place me completely at her mercy.

I reach just two feet away from entering headfirst into the gelatinous mass when my hand slips out of the [Inventory] and thrusts forward with one of my newer toys securely in its grip. A little orange something I picked up in my fight against Rowan & Towa.

And don't you worry. Just like those two had, I've been keeping this baby fully charged.

"Impact!"

CRITICAL HIT!

Green erupts out the behemoths back as Cornelia and all the matter surrounding her is forcibly, violently, expelled outward by the concussive wave. It's a perfect opportunity for a follow-up while she's airborne and vulnerable but...its honestly not needed.

Her eyes are whited out and her mouth agape. Both telltale signs of the classic anime one-hit knockout. Plus...well.. she's falling straight toward the ocean.

Her insensate form crashes into the waves and it seems the impact somehow startles her back into consciousness. She rights herself quickly but it's rather a pointless endeavor. She flounders, slapping at the water in a desperate panic to stay afloat, all while the curse every Fruit-user bears saps at her strength more and more with each half-second. All until she finally surrenders and her head sinks below.

'Always a shame to kill such a beautiful woman.'

+760 Exp!

"Caruso!" the Commodore bellowed. "Do it now!"

With a violent swiping of his arms inward the assorted blades, cannons, and other battlefield debris all under the influence of his adjutant's Orbit-Orbit Fruit accelerated to ridiculous velocities. The radii of the floating rings they were part of shrinking down to a fifth of what they were previously in tandem with the speed boost, making his lieutenant the center point of a now whirring storm of iron and death.

It was a terrifying technique. One his friend and subordinate had spent years getting right. The Orbit-Orbit Fruit was not a friendly one to use when fighting alongside allies. The sheer awareness you needed to keep track of one ring of rotating junk let alone five or six...if Roanoke was honest with himself he doubted he could have used the power half as effectively as his man did. Then add in that each circle or ellipses could have different angles or speeds or have their radii adjusted.. just thinking about it made his head spin.

Which made it all the more insane that Hornigold simply barreled straight through them, utterly uncaring of the danger, just to knee his second-in-command right in the face.

"Caruso!" Roanoke shouted as his man went flying. "Damn it all!" With a mighty sprint he closed the distance between himself and the pirate leader in an instant. Hard-knuckled fists went flying and were frustratingly weathered by an opponent who didn't care. Blows of incredible impact sank into soft sponge-like flesh and did no real damage except a slight push back.

"Hah! Surely you can do better than this Commodore!" His opponent jeered behind his raised arms. "With your service record I was expecting more!"

Roanoke's palm opened on the next swing up. "Sapping Spores!" A yellow dust similar to pollen sprayed past the pirates burly arms and into his eyes and nose. "Gah-!" Hornigold staggered backwards, his eyes screwed shut as little red spotted mushrooms began to bloom over his skin.

Snapping his hand behind his back, Roanoke drew the tantō blade resting above his tailbone and brought it forward in an arc aimed straight for the neck. A beefy hand knocks his wrist off course before its job is complete and is swiftly followed by a kick to the abdomen that sends the marine rolling away like a stone.

"Not a bad trick Commodore." Hornigold taunts, brushing the withered husks of dead mushrooms off his face. "But your little red caps need to suck up moisture in order to blossom. Next time try it on someone who isn't a Sponge. Anything they steal from me, I'll take it right back!"

Roanoke hopped back to his feet and then slammed both hands on the deck, a determined yet angry sneer on his face. "Then I'll just have to go bigger then won't I! Fungal..Reclamation!"

Molds, mushrooms, and toadstools surge into being in an ever-expanding circle around the officer and rapidly begin encroaching on the pirate. Affected regions of the ship turn an ugly decaying green and in very little time at all the infection is already licking at Hornigold's feet.

Throughout it all the 'Pirate Lord of South Blue' just continues to smile. With one great push off of his legs he launches himself into the air, past the ground-based obstacles, and twists his arm back for a wild haymaker. The Commodore gnashes his teeth and crosses his arms overhead in an X-guard. "Tekkai!"

The medium-leveled 'Iron Body' nearly buckles against the meteor-like fist coming straight down but somehow manages to hold against the impact. Roanoke grinds down on his jaw as the reverberations of the blow course along his body. With a pained gasp he releases the marine technique and then his eyes widen when a palm the size of his head clenches down over his neck and mouth. His toes slip off the deck as the larger man lifts him like plaything and his flailing kicks do nothing against the unnatural ductility of Hornigold's torso.

Red colors Roanoke's face as he struggles in vain against the meaty hand doing its best to crush his windpipe into powder. "White.." he manages to rasp. "..Death." Bulbous amanitas varying in color from bone to eggshell to pale nimbus slowly begin to sprout from the skin atop Hornigold's forearm. One or two at a time the infestation crawls past his bicep-

"HHHOOOAAAGH!"

The world blurs as Roanoke is slammed through the floor with the force of an angry demigod, Hornigold's battle-cry barely registering in his ears past the terrible ringing. The grip on his neck recedes, is replaced by one over his ankle, and again and again he is battered uselessly into the ship like a ragdoll. His focus on maintaining his Devil Fruit power evaporates utterly and his vision is replaced with naught but a spotty array of loose colors.

"Commodore!"

He vaguely recognizes the voice of his man Caruso followed by someone unknown shouting 'let him go' before he feels himself violently chucked straight over the railing. He soars past a pair of dueling ships. Beyond the sinking wreckage of a third. And out into the unforgiving Blue.

Perhaps.. were he a man of greater luck.. then someone may have intercepted his fall. Had he been born under a slightly more fortunate star or maybe just had the simple foresight of having something on his person be affected by his young co-workers Orbit powers.

But alas...Commodore Roanoke, one of South Blue's strongest military assets. A veteran commander with well over 20 years of decorated service behind his back.

Sank to the bottom of the sea like a piece of garbage.

The uppercut slams into the base of his chin and Odenkirk stumbles backward, only barely managing to stay on his feet. The Lt. Commander ignores the feeling of blood in his mouth and instead throws his arm forward again. He didn't understand it. How could his entire crew, his men, his adjutants Katrina and Sabrina, and now himself lose to one individual? To just one man!

It wasn't even a strong-seeming man! It was a damned pretty boy in a suit!

Two hands circle around Odenkirks wrist and the officer feels his feet leave the ground. Without a word, not even a taunt, the ever silent pirate hefts the marine officer over his shoulder and slams him painfully into the deck of the ship. Wood crackles under the mans back and that blood he was trying to ignore finally sputters out in an agonized gasp.

Odenkirk looks up at the pirate hanging over him. A bored, unimpressed expression looming behind his squared glasses. The pirate's fist pulls back and Odenkirk braces himself for the final blow, squinting his eyes shut the moment before it comes.

…

…

…

..only it doesn't.

A single eye cracks open, afraid of what it might find, and sees the pirate's right hand is still cocked. His disinterested face is still looking down on him. What's different though is his left is crossed in front of his body, holding someone new's intruding kick at bay.

Surprise.

Genuine. Actual. Surprise.

And...excitement.

I can't recall the last time someone actually straight up caught one of my attacks. I've been blocked before. Parried. I've had opponents try to tank a blow and then keep fighting on through it. But to reach out and stop me flat? Hoh hoh! It has been a while! Usually I'm the one who's pulling out that trick on people.

I tilt my head rightward at the lithe figure currently death-gripping my outstretched boot. He's tall. Might even say 'lanky'. Dresses way better than your standard fare of pirate. With the vest and tie combo he somewhat reminds me of Sanji. Even their combed hairstyle's have certain similarities. Just about the only things stopping me from saying he's 'dressed to the nines' is lack of a blazer and the hard-knuckle gloves covering all but the fingertips of his hands.

Nash, Hornigold's Right-Hand, Lv. 67

"Ahh, that's convenient." I spoke in a conversational tone as I eyed the title. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me which of these ships has your boss on it would you?"

"…"

"Y'see I stopped by the big orange one in the center but all I found was some mooks and a well-dressed decoy. You guys scattered yourselves around pretty good didn't you?"

"…"

"So you're kind of the silent type eh? Alright then." With a sharp twist I wrenched my foot free and swiveled around for a heavy swing..only to get an unexpected fist into my nose for the trouble.

-47 HP!

[Tekkai Kenpo] keeps the damage low and my stagger to a minimum but does come with the downside of making me almost too slow to raise an arm against the sudden spin-kick flying at my neck.

-51 HP!

My boots go sliding as the thwomp of his attack slams against my guard sending me skating backwards on my heels. My eyes dart upward as the enemy goes airborne and it's a naught but a hurried [Soru] that sees me dodging the pirate's aggressive follow-up. Dust and debris erupt outward as his gloved fist obliterates the deck like a meteor strike and I feel an excited grin spread take over my face.

'Oh ho ho!' I put up a defensive stance as I survey the silhouette inside the smoke. 'Well this is new.' I've yet to encounter one of these. It was a real tried and true trope back on Earth. The skinny anime pretty boy who can dish out waaaay more damage than his slim body type would suggest. 'Some parallels to Sanji indeed..'

Nash explodes out of the dust cloud, still without speaking a word, and I meet his charge head on. Feet and fists go flying, both trying to find purchase against an opponent whose skilled at weaving around them and I'm sure to an untrained viewer it would look like two evenly matched experts duking it out at ridiculous speed.

Oh how wrong they'd be.

-39 HP!

-35 HP!

-28 HP!

-22 HP!

-43 HP!

-40 HP!

-51 HP!

Because I am losing.

Y'know it's easy to forget sometimes. Though in fairness my frankly absurd stats do make it that way. Make it simple to overlook the fact that, when it comes right down to it, I'm basically just a semi-skilled brawler.

-34 HP!

-53 HP!

I don't have professional training. I may have the STR to hit like a motherfuckin' sledgehammer but all of my fighting prowess is the result of things I've learned on the job. Not to mention all the powers the [Game] has gifted me with. This guy though..he's a goddamn throwin' hands virtuoso. He's exactly the type of person I'd originally hoped to find when I first thought of seeking out Karate Island.

-29 HP!

-60 HP!

-42 HP!

The two of us separate, each jumping back for a little distance, and I spit a glob of blood out the corner of my mouth. 'Damn, nearly 10% of my health already?' One would think with [Bullet Time] going I could at least land a few hits myself but he just keeps rolling over or past the blows. It's insane.

Another gloved fist comes straight for my face and I consider dropping [Tekkai Kenpo] as it grazes past my cheek. Remarkably skilled or no, if I had access to my full 600 DEX stat I could probably reverse this situation in a second. For the moment though I think I'll choose to dismiss that notion.. because...well...

I realize too late that the fist was a feint and a knee crashes into my chin, nearly knocking me ass over teakettle. Despite the hit though, I still manage to stare my opponent down with an overly wide grin.

'WHERE'D BE THE FUN IN THAT?'

Skill Lv Up! Unarmed Combat (Tekkai Kenpo) Lv (16/50) → (17/50)

-A mixture of instinctive fighting knowledge using your bare hands with the Rokushiki technique: [Tekkai].

Note: At current [Skill] level the strength of your [Tekkai] while in motion is reduced to 34% effectiveness.

Note 2: At current [Skill] level your DEX will be reduced by 66% while attempting to move with [Tekkai] sustained.

A small yet pointed [Tobu Shigan] pricks Nash in his instep momentarily drawing his focus. My next hit -moving ever so slightly faster than what he was expecting- takes full advantage of this and this time it's him who goes sliding away with arms crossed in a hasty guard.

57 Damage! (2,956/3,110)

154 Damage! (2,899/3,110)

Nash's face thins as he looks past his lowering arms, seemingly assessing me in a new light. Two fingers meticulously reach up to adjust his glasses and he follows the motion by pulling down at the hem of his gloves, seemingly tightening their fit on his hands. Meanwhile I'm bouncing along the balls of my feet, feeling [HP Regen] inching me back up towards full with each second. "Come on then. Don't tell me you got rattled just because I finally landed something. Let's go."

Round two begins just as explosively as its predecessor did and soon my periphery is flooded by damage notifications as the two of us go at it. Nash adapts to my mildly improved performance in stride and compensates beautifully. The gulf in skill has shrunken but still remains so vast that it hardly matters to him.

None of this should be seen as a bad thing though. In fact I welcome it.

His blows, while damaging, just don't quite have enough 'oomph' behind them to adequately break through and feel threatening. Sure, it hurts. Somewhat. But what is a little pain and a few aches compared to such a wonderful training opportunity.

It's a rare feeling to actually tell when one of my [Skill]'s is actively gaining progress. Usually it's a trickling growth in the back of my mind. Slowly building up to the next 'Skill Lv Up!' like a Pokémon grinding its way to 100. Now though? Against an artist like Nash? I can actually feel [Prodigy's Shadow] buzzing on my psyche. That metaphorical exp bar shooting up as I watch how his body moves. How he contorts out of the way without techniques like [Kami-e]. How he can slap my wrist off course, hop upward, and prepare to sock me in the jaw all in a single motion. It's fascinating.

And the benefits of his lessons cannot be understated.

Skill Lv Up! Unarmed Combat (Tekkai Kenpo) Lv (17/50) → (18/50)

-A mixture of instinctive fighting knowledge using your bare hands with the Rokushiki technique: [Tekkai].

Note: At current [Skill] level the strength of your [Tekkai] while in motion is reduced to 36% effectiveness.

Note 2: At current [Skill] level your DEX will be reduced by 64% while attempting to move with [Tekkai] sustained.

There's more though. More than just me inching away from 'jack-of-all-trades brawler' and towards something higher.

That...feeling is back. The one I had against Fumori that let me stop the giant's attack.

It's somewhat distracting actually. Having it just sitting there along the edge of my senses constantly. Waxing and waning in intensity. One second being almost something real and the next being so faint that I'm convinced it's fake and this is all just happening in my head. Especially with [Prodigy's Shadow] buzzing so loudly next to it.

There's a particularly strong impression right before a jab connects to my side and I try to follow the feeling. Doing my best to wrestle hold of it and draw it out to the next second but it's so nebulous. So ephemeral. Do you ever have those moments of Déjà vu where you swear you've seen this already in a dream? You try to grab that sensation, use it to predict what happens next, but then it vanishes like smoke between your fingertips.

A 'Ding!' in the corner alerts me that [Tekkai Kenpo] has somehow leveled up again, completely shattering my personal record for leveling a [Skill] thrice in a single day, and Nash mistimes one of his maneuvers because of it. Instead of him succeeding in another hit to my side, it's instead a hit to my side paired with my left hand crashing into his jaw.

The pirate lieutenant goes spiraling as a nasty red spot forms over his cheek. With a recovery twirl he rights himself into a crouch and then thumbs away a fleck of blood from his lip. My fingers extend outward, taunting him with the classic 'bring it on' gesture, and he sprints forward to meet the challenge.

I would say round three was exciting as the first two but that wouldn't quite be true. I think I may have rung his bell just a little too hard in that last exchange. 'Though in fairness If you took 400+ STR straight to the dome you'd be a little woozy too'. Because he's suddenly no longer operating at his peak. He's still at something like 80-90% of it, but that tiny loss of efficiency, paired with the lesser DEX restriction on me, is cascading into a much more even type of slugfest.

A real man's man type of fight. No need to worry about Devil Fruits or esoteric abilities. Just two dudes really beating the crap out of each other. It appeals to an almost primal part of my brain..which makes it such a shame that after a minute of it my dance partner just can't keep up.

Nash staggers as a decisive blow to his solar plexus knocks his health from four digits down to three and he collapses to his hands and knees. Driblets of blood and sweat run off him onto the floor while his chest heaves in heavy gulping breaths. Out of respect I wait until he regains his composure and then ask my initial question once more. "Where's your boss?"

He eyes me in defiance, as much as he can with the swelling already overtaking his face, and still remains silent. I know from [Observe] that the guy isn't a mute so the fact that he's yet to even so much as grunt throughout our entire encounter speaks a helluva lot to his determination.

His eyes close and an inaudible chuckle seems to be stuck in his throat. It's odd to watch, seeing his head slightly bobble without any of the usual sound to go with it. "...good fight." he finally responds, voice as smooth as fine silk. He grins at me knowingly...and then promptly faceplants into unconsciousness.

+2,780 Exp!

"Oi!" I squawk at him. "No no no none of that." I drag him up by the lapels of his vest and lightly tap at his face. "Wake up. Wake up you. We're not done talkin'." I give him a good shake. "Come on, I-"

I-

I see him.

Two ships over. Taking on an entire regiment of enlisted all by himself. Smashing them aside three or four at a time as they uselessly try to overwhelm him with gang tactics.

I see him.

The figurative head of the snake.

I release Nash down, gently tossing him at the feet of the marine officer who's been watching our fight in wide-eyed silence...who I'm also just realizing is the same Lt. Commander that had rendered aide to Kivuruk after Kid's attack. Wow, that makes me feel like a real shit for not noticing before.

Guess I'll have to make up for it by putting an end to this absurdity myself.

Kugizume, my ever reliable Meito, slides out of its straps on my back. "Watch that one for me. I'll be back for him later." I tell the injured Odenkirk who simply nods dumbly at my request. I feel the tautness of my skin loosen as I let go of [Tekkai Kenpo] and a long exhale follows. The [Skill]'s served me well while projectiles were flying every which way but it will only be liable to hamper in this next fight. Fists will not be the way to go against a Sponge-Man.

A jagged black line zigzags across the sky as 'Kamisori' takes me to my target. He's bigger around the torso than I imagined. Not to such a comedic extent that he looks like Douglas Bullet or anything but the same basic body type is there. A hulking upper torso and wee little lower one.

A laugh tickles me as I get closer. It seems like only yesterday when I started my bounty hunting journey. I can still recall it so vividly. Standing there in Caeba with less than 100,000 Beri to my name, nodding along somewhat awestruck while a then Chief Mori explains how the system worked.

I remember reading the list of those 'big names who roam our waters' as he put it. I remember thinking at the time that I'd have to be positively mad to go after even the smallest of them. And yet here I am, about to remove from the board the final one I saw that day. The 72.5 million Beri bounty.

My boots touch down somewhat gently on the wooden planks. I could go for the explosive entrance as I oft choose to do but it wouldn't feel quite right. A meeting like this deserves more ceremony.

Hornigold turns his neck to face me and gains an ominous grin to match my own. "Jack..Sparrow." he announces, tossing the marine in his grip aside like an uninteresting piece of trash. "I thought you might somehow show up. Have you come for my head as well?"

"Maybe." I answer back with my own smirk. 'Should I pull Yatagrasu out as well here? Dual-wielding Meito's might be the move..though I don't have a ton of experience fighting like that. Maybe my usual 'blade in one hand, gun in the other' style would work best? Although..would bullets even work against a spongy body? I mean they..shooould..but you never know with One Piece. He could be just as resistant as Luffy is.'

The better version of Don Krieg smiles even wider. "Well sorry that I'm going to have to disappoint then. I hope you don't mind but I'm going to finish this quickly. I'm here for the marines. Not their flying little lapdog."

'[Observe]'

Garrick Osier Hornigold, Pirate Lord, Lv. 82

There aren't many rules one has to follow to join as a member of the Hornigold Pirates. The few there are though are absolutely ironclad. Chief among them being the following two. One must never mention Gol D. Roger or the title of 'Pirate King' in front of Hornigold...and you will not bring harm to mothers or their children. The origin of these two commandments dates back to an incident 20 years ago on the island of Baterilla in where Hornigold's mother was mistakenly killed by marine inspectors searching for Roger's supposed spawn. After the Government left, thoroughly satisfied that no such devil child existed, Hornigold made on oath to himself to rise to power and act as a check on the Governments influence. To never let them have such unchallenged impunity in his home sea ever again.

Overall Hornigold feels he has mostly failed in this lifelong goal, but he'll be damned if he watches them take over his ocean without a fight. He is conducting this 'war' in hopes of routing the Marines to such a degree that new pirates will emerge in the lull after, causing a return to the status quo.

[SPONGE-MAN]: Hornigold is the user of the Sponge-Sponge Fruit, a Special Paramecia. Damage from blunt sources is being reduced by 95% and his [Health] is automatically restored at a rate of 5 HP per second.

[DELUDED]: Despite the damage and death his massive crew has spread over the years, Hornigold still believes that he represents the lesser evil. He is convinced of the righteousness of his convictions and will fight all the harder for it. All physical stats +10%.

Health: 9,215/9,504

STR: 372 (+10%) = 409.2

VIT: 864 (+10%) =950.4

DEX: 153 (+10%) = 168.3

INT: 85

WIS: 71

LUK: 49

Kugizume falls slightly as my next witty retort dies silent and unvoiced. 'Is that it?' I raise an unimpressed eyebrow. I mean he's tanky as fuck sure but..is that it?

For someone whose level is in the 80's that DEX score is just pathetic. Even with his little determination boost he's still slower than Killer who last I saw was 30 levels lower. I'm fairly certain I was more agile than that before I even hit 40. STR and LUK aren't bad but I've seen better for both and his mental traits aren't even worth commenting on. Literally all he has is...VIT. Vitality and some greater than your average Joe's health regen.

In comparison to my own numbers I'd actually rate Towa the Toucan as a more problematic opponent. At least that guy had decent speed to pair with his bulk. Why would such a one-trick pony like this be the highest bounty in Sou-

Ah.

I get it now.

Hornigold had a bigger fleet than the 'Oaken Fist'. He was more ambitious. Better organized. Had far more men and resources at his disposal. I mean look at what force he was able to muster in just a few days! That's why the marines threat assessment of him was higher. That's why he has the higher bounty. But on an individual fighting level, looking at just him without all the extra stuff, he's just another bulky dude with a decent Fruit.

It seems I've already beaten the best pirate on this ocean. I did it a few days ago on that little spit of land in the middle of the sea and hadn't even realized.

That's... really disappointing.

Four massive green fireworks light up the sky briefly pulling me away from my doleful realization. Dark storm clouds are beginning to gather over the battlefield and I look back to Hornigold who's appearing entirely too proud of himself.

"Tell me something Sparrow." The pirate asks as his grin turns outright feral. "Have you ever heard of a substance called 'Dance Powder'?"

A soft tap tap of droplets sounds near my feet. A drizzle begins to fall and by the time I've realized what he's doing it's already evolved into a proper downpour. Thick heavy rain slams down onto my person thoroughly soaking my clothes. It's the type of deluge where you can actually feel what you're wearing grow heavier from the added mass.

"Don't be too shocked if you haven't!" Hornigold spouted with a menacing laugh. "The World Government's banned its production for decades! Though if you have the right contacts it's recipe is rather simple to make!" Hornigold turns his arms out and aims his palms upward, adopting a rather cliché pose of a villain who thinks they're about to reveal something particularly impressive. "When a storm as heavy as this one is combined with the powers of my Sponge-Sponge Fruit you'll find that I-"

I decapitated him.

[Spark of Celerity] wasn't even needed to do it. He was so focused on grandstanding that my base speed, more than triple was own, and a simple [Soru] got the job done.

'What a complete letdown.'

Kugizume clicks back into its sheath as I come to a landing behind him. There's a pretty significant Exp notification in the corner. A level up one too. I don't really pay them much heed though. The excitement of hitting Lv.70 is muted by the...anticlimax of the whole thing. How was that it? Even when I jumped forward swinging the Meito at his neck, when I felt it bite into his spongy skin above the collarbone knowing he'd be too slow to stop it..some part of me was still convinced that something would interrupt me.

A last second dodge, a sacrificing of his arm instead, basic armament Haki out of nowhere, something!

There's a wet thud behind me as the body..well I can't say faceplants because that's not anatomically possible anymore..and I turn to stare at the carcass still expecting some last minute trick.

The seconds tick by. The rain is so thick that it seems almost white. The sounds of surrounding ships are drowned out by the hissing shshshshshshshshsh of falling water.

What's it going to be? His body regenerating a new head? His head a new body? Split a sponge in two and you get two sponges right?

Shshshshshshshshshshshsh

But the pirate lord continues to lay there. Actually legitimately dead. If he wasn't, the [Game] wouldn't have given me the level up.

Shshshshshshshshshshshsh

A spent and weary sigh escapes me before I turn away and look towards the next shipful of pirates..

'It seems I truly have outgrown this ocean.'

A/N: Next update is already written. Expect it in a day or two. I just want to give it another read over first.

A/N : Discord invite if you want it. .gg/PbmR4hH9Q2